The Varanasi district court on Wednesday set December 15 after hearing on a plea seeking the replacement of the cloth tied over the sealed lock of the wazukhana (ablution area) inside the Gyanvapi mosque complex in Varanasi.
Advocate Akhlaque Ahmad, counsel for the Anzuman Intezamia Masajid Committee (AIMC), which manages the Gyanvapi Mosque, said that the court fixed December 15 as the date for its order.
Opposing the plea, Ahmed reiterated his argument that the wazukhana was sealed by an order of the Supreme Court and, therefore, only the apex court could pass directions on the matter. He also presented a copy of the order passed in the writ petition (civil) Ashwini Kumar Upadhyaya Versus Union of India and others before the court.
The court of the district judge had previously ordered both parties on November 10 to produce a copy of the order passed in the aforementioned writ petition. According to AIMC’s counsel Akhlaque Ahmad, the parties were also directed on earlier dates to explain their respective positions regarding the writ.
The plea was originally filed on August 8 by advocate Rajesh Mishra, the UP government’s special counsel for the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case, on behalf of the Varanasi administration. The AIMC had raised its objections that same month.
{{/usCountry}}The plea was originally filed on August 8 by advocate Rajesh Mishra, the UP government’s special counsel for the Shringar Gauri-Gyanvapi case, on behalf of the Varanasi administration. The AIMC had raised its objections that same month.
{{/usCountry}}During previous hearings before district judge Sanjeev Shukla, Mishra had consistently argued that the torn cloth on the locks needed replacement due to wear and tear. He stressed the importance of replacing the worn-out cloth with a new one, given the sensitive nature of the Gyanvapi matter, and urged the court to pass an order accordingly.